Crumpling device



C. R. WALKER CRUMPLING DEVICE April 21, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 29, 1956 Clwezas Rater Maxie,

RTTO RN EYS Y April 21, 1959 c. R. WALKER 2,882,302

CRUMPLING DEVICE" I Filed Oct, 29, i956 v 2 Sh 2 IN V EN TOR. 4/ 6/4545: fiasfr/fhxse,

GTTORNEYS United States Patent F CRUNELING DEVICE Charles Robert Walker, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Fox Paper Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 29, 1956, Serial No. 619,069

9 Claims. (Cl. 93-1) My invention relates to a crumpling device and more particularly to mechanism for converting continuous webs of sheet material into crumpled lengths of packing material or wadding such as is employed to package frangible articles in shipping containers and the like.

When packing frangible articles in containers, it is custernary to provide wadding or packing material in the form of crumpled paper, commonly known as stufling paper, which is placed around the articles to space them apart and to cushion them against shocks encountered during the handling and transporation of the containers in which the articles are packed. Heretofore, stuffing paper material has been crumped by hand in the shipping room, the packers simply crumpling paper sheets or the like as needed and placing it in the containers as they are prepared for shipment or storage. Such procedure is both time consuming and requires a relatively large supply of loose paper in the shipping room.

In accordance with the instant invention, 1 have provided a device which will automatically crumple continuous lengths of sheet material, such as paper, into suitably wadded or crumpled condition and sever the stufling paper so formed into unit lengths such as may be conveniently used for packing purposes.

A principal object of my invention is the provision of a device in which one or more Webs of sheet material may be crumpled or wadded together and subsequently cut into unit lengths.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the character described in which the web material to be crumpled is drawn through a cone or funnel-like member which serves to fold and reversely fold the web in an irregular manner, the Web being drawn through the funnel by means of a pair of draw rollers which serve to compact the material as it emerges from the small end of the funnel.

Yet a further object of my invention is the provision of synchronized cut-off means for severing the crumpled material into the desired unit lengths, the movement of the cut-off means being adjustable to vary the unit lengths of the material being severed.

Still a further object of my invention is the provision of embossing rollers positioned to impart an embossed configuration to the web material prior to its entrance into the funnel or cone, thereby additionally configuring the material so that, in its crumpled condition, it will be softer and have a greater cushioning action.

Yet a further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the character described in which a plurality of rolls of sheet material may be simultaneously handled, the plurality of rolls either providing a plurality of crumpled lengths or else being combined into a single crumpled length composed of a plurality of sheets.

The foregoing together with other objects of my invention which will appear hereinafter or which will be apparent to the skilled worker in the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by those constructions 2,882,802 Patented Apr. 21, 1959 ICC and arrangements of parts of which I shall now describecertain exemplary embodiments.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a crumpling device in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an end elevational view illustrating an alternative form of cut-01f knife.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view through a length of crumpled material formed in accordance with my invention, the view being taken along the line 5--5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional View similar to Figure 5 and serving to illustrate the irregularity of the folds in the finished product.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating adjustable knife actuating means.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary schematic view illustrating the use of a plurality of webs of paper to form a multiple ply crumpled sheet.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan schematic view illustrating a plurality of webs fed through the machine in side-by-side relation.

Reference is first made to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings wherein I have illustrated an exemplary machine in accordance with my invention. As seen therein, the machine comprises a base 1 upon which is mounted a roll stand 2 having a shaft 3 mounting a roll of paper 4. The width of the roll does not constitute a limitation on my invention, although in an exemplary embodiment the roll will be 12-15 inches in width, although the machine will preferably be constructed to handle sheets of much greater widths. Similarly, the nature of the material. making up the roll does not constitute a limitation on my invention and it will be understood that any suitable paper or similar material may be employed inclusive of kraft papers, chip board, tissue paper and the like. Generally speaking, the paper will be as inexpensive as possible consistent with the ultimate usage of the material being crumpled.

From the roll stand 2 the roll of material is unwound and advanced as a web 5, the web being drawn through the mouth of a funnel or cone-shaped member 6 terminating at its small end in an outlet opening 7. As will be evident from the drawings the under side of the funnel-shaped member 6 may be flattened, as at 7, if so desired. The outlet opening determines the approximate width of the crumpled packing material and in a preferred embodiment of the invention the Width of the outlet opening will be in the neighborhood of 3 inches, more or less. Here again, the size of the opening may be varied over a wide range in accordance with the desired size of the end product. The material is drawn through the funnel-shaped member by means of rollers 9 and 10 positioned immediately beyond the outlet opening. As will be clearly apparent from Figure 1, the underlying roller 9 has a width in excess of the width of the crumpled material 5a emerging from the outlet opening 7, Whereas the overlying roller 10 has a width which is less than the width of the crumpled material 5a. This arrangement of parts is very important to the successful operation of the device in that it causes the material being crumpled or folded to follow an irregular path as it passes through the funnel, thereby stimulating the indifferent crumpling of the Web as would occur if it were done by hand. In other words, there is no set pattern in the material as it is crumpled. 1 Y

As the web 5 is drawn into the funnel 6, it may thus I initially fold upwardly and inwardly, as in the manner this irregular movement is caused by the arrangement of the rollers 9 and 163 which, as they draw the web through the funnel, exert irregular and uneven forces against the web by reason of the narrow width of the roller 10, thereby resulting in the irregular and nonrepetitive pattern of the crumpled web. In Figure 6, I have illustrated a cross section through a web so crumpled, the cross section serving to illustrate the irregularity of the crumpled product. It will also be understood that as the material passes between the rollers 9 and 10, the ,pressure of the rollers will exert a pressing or flattening action tending to crease the crumpled paper, thereby causing it to remain in its crumpled or compacted condition. The roller 9 is mounted on a shaft 12 journaled at its ends in supports 13, the shaft 12 projecting beyond one of the supports and carrying a sprocket 13 by means of which the shaft and roller are driven, as through chain 14 passing around sprocket 15 which in turn is driven by prime mover 16 through an intermediate speed reduction gear box 17, as will be readily understood. The roller is mounted on a shaft 18 also received in the supports 13; and adjustment means 19 may be provided to urge the roller 10 in the direction of the roller 9.

A cut-elf knife 20 is preferably provided beyond the rollers 9 and 10 to sever the crumpled material into unit lengths, although if desired, the material may be run through continuously and collected or otherwise handled in continuous lengths. As seen in Figure 4, the knife 20 may be hand actuated, being mounted on a pivoted lever arm 21 having an operating handle 22, the knife 20 coacting with a fixed base knife 23. Preferably, however, the cut-off knife will be automatically actuated in timed relation to the movement of the crumpled material. Thus seen in Figure 3, the knife 20 is supported by a pair of vertically movable rods 24 slidably journaled in bearing sleeves 25 fixed to the machine frame, the rods being operatively connected at their lower ends to the solenoids 26. Upon actuation of the solenoids 26, the rods will be moved downwardly through the bearing sleeves 25, thereby bringing the knife blade 20 into shearing engagement with the base knife 23. Springs 27 extending between the bearing sleeves 25 and the lower ends of the rod 24 will cause the rods to be raised upon deenergization of the solenoids. The severed material may then fall into a suitable receptacle, such as the container 28.

The actuation of the cut-off knife may be conveniently controlled from a control box 30 (Figure 1) having an adjustment lever 31 by means of which the timing of the cut-off knife may be selectively adjusted. The end of driven shaft 12 opposite the sprocket 13 carries a bevel gear 32 meshing with a bevel gear 33 carried on the end of a shaft 34 journaled in the control box and rotating in the direction of the arrow A, as best seen in Figure 7. A small wheel 35 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 34, the wheel being keyed to the shaft for axial movement therealong. The wheel 35 is operatively connected to the adjustment lever 31 so that, as the adjustment lever is moved from the left to right, as seen in Figure 7, the wheel 35 will be moved axially along the shaft 34 so as to move away from the center of a rotatable disc mounted at right angles with respect to the axis of the wheel 35. .The periphery of the wheel is in frictional engagement with the surface of the disc 36 and the arrangement is such that as the wheel is rotated, it will turn the disc. When the adjustment lever is in its leftmost position, i.e. with the wheel 35 adjacent the center of the disc 36, the disc will be rotated at a relatively fast rate, whereas movement of the control lever to the right will result in the wheel 35 being displaced from the center of the disc with a resultant diminution in the speed of rotation of the disc. The surface of the disc carries a raised cam portion 37 adapted to contact a cam follower 38 forming a part of the control switch 39 for the solenoids 26. Thus, as the disc 36 is rotated in timed relation to the movement of the roller 9 from which it is driven, the

1 raised cam portion 37 will contact and close the switch 39, thereby energizing the solenoid and causing the cutoff knife to be actuated. Movement of the adjustment lever 31 will enable the operator to control the rapidity of actuation of the cut-off knife and hence the unit lengths of the crumpled material being severed.

It is also within the spirit of my invention to provide a roller stand 40 intermediate the roller stand 2 and the funnel 6, the roller stand 40 mounting a pair of embossing rolls 41 and 42 by means of which the web of sheet material may be embossed prior to the actual crumpling operation. Such embossing serves to soften the sheet and deflect portions thereof from the initial plane of the web, thereby providing a more resilient and cushioned crumpled sheet. Such sheet is illustrated at 5b in Figure 5 of the drawings wherein it will be apparent that the embossing or indenting of the paper results in the formation of a multiplicity of pockets or the like in the crumpled material. Either or both of the embossing rollers may be driven from the shaft 12, as by means of sheaves 43 and 44, and belt 45.

Additional modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. For example, a plurality of webs of sheet material may be simultaneously fed into the device and crumpled together to form a plural-ply crumpled product. Thus, as seen in Figure 8, the roll stand 46 may be provided with paper rolls 47, 48 and 49 by means of which the webs, indicated at 50, 51 and 52 may be drawn through the funnel member 6. If desired, pairs of embossing rolls, such as the pairs 53, 54 and 55 may be provided for each of the webs so formed. Alternatively, a plurality of webs may be acted upon in side-by-side relation to form a plurality of crumpled sheets. Thus, as seen in Figure 9, additional funnels 56 and 57 may be positioned to each side of the funnel 6 if the width of the machine permits, or they may be positioned at angles, i.e. above and inclined inwardly with respect to the center funnel 6, each of the additional funnels so provided being fed webs of paper 58 and 59, thereby producing additional crumpled products 60 and 61. The shaft 18 may thus mount additional rollers 62 and 63 positioned in front of the output openings of the respective funnels, all three rollers so provided being serviced by the single underlying full width roller 9. In this way, the machine may be utilized to simultaneously produce a plurality of crumpled products. It will be evident that the single cut-off knife 20 will serve to jointly sever the webs into the desired unit lengths.

Having thus described my invention in certain exemplary embodiments, what I desire to secure and protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for crumpling paper, a roll stand mounting a roll of paper to be crumpled, a funnel-like member having its mouth positioned to receive material withdrawn from said roll, said funnel-shaped member having an outlet opening at its opposite end substantially narrower than its mouth, and a pair of coacting draw rollers immediately beyond the outlet opening of said funnel-like member for drawing the web of material therebetween, said rollers having their axes extending in parallel relation, a first of said draw rollers having a width in excess of the width of said outlet opening, the other of said draw rollers being of a width less than the width of said outlet opening, and means for driving at least one of said draw rollers.

2. The device claimed in claim 1 including a cut-off knife positioned beyond said draw rollers.

3. The device claimed in claim 2 including means for actuating said cut-off knife in synchronism with the movement of said draw rollers.

4. The device claimed in claim 3 including embossing rollers between said roll stand and said funnel-like member, and means for driving said embossing rollers.

5. The device claimed in claim 3 wherein said roll stand includes means for mounting a plurality of rolls of sheet material, whereby a plurality of sheets may be simultaneously fed through said funnel-like member.

6. The device claimed in claim 3 including a plurality of said funnel-like members in generally side-by-side relation, a roll stand for supplying a web of sheet material to each of said funnel-like members, and a pair of said coacting draw rollers effective at the outlet end of each of said funnel-shaped member to draw the webs of material therethrough.

7. The device claimed in claim 6 wherein said coacting pairs of draw rollers have a common bottom roller and separate upper rollers.

8. In a device for crumpling paper, means for feeding a continuous web of paper, a generally cone-shaped member having an inlet opening at its larger end and an outlet opening at its smaller end through which said paper is passed, said paper being fed into said cone-shaped member through the larger end thereof, a single pair of coacting draw rollers lying immediately beyond the smaller end of said cone-shaped member, a first of said draw rollers having a width in excess of the width of said outlet opening and the other of said draw rollers having a width less than the width of said outlet opening, said draw rollers acting to draw the paper through said coneshaped member so as to cause it to be folded and reversely folded upon itself in irregular manner, thereby producing a crumpled web of a width substantially equal to the width of the smaller end of said cone-shaped member, and means beyond said draw rollers for severing the crumpled web so formed into unit lengths.

9. The device claimed in claim 8 including drive means for said draw rollers, and means synchronized to the movement of said drive rollers for actuating said crumpled web severing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,164,702 Davids-on July 4, 1932 2,786,399 Mason et al Mar. 26, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 124,039 Austria Aug. 10, 1931 

